13 Fun Facts About the Internet’s Cutest Cat, Lil Bub

Vice’s documentary about the cutest creature on the planet, Lil Bub—aptly titled Lil Bub & Friendz—opens at the Tribeca Film Festival today. To celebrate, mental_floss went to Social Tees Animal Rescue for an interview with the feline star and her owner, Mike Bridavsky, before a meet and greet with her adoring fans. Here’s what she told us about herself.

1. The official story is that Bub was discovered in a rural Indiana tool shed in June 2011, the runt of a litter of feral cats. But Bub didn't look like any of her siblings, Bridavsky says, "which leads us to believe that she may actually be an alien creature that crashed to Earth, and found this litter of Earth kittens and just joined them to fit in."

2. Because of the shape of her mouth, Bub couldn't nurse, so she was bottle fed until she could eat on her own.

Bub outside Social Tees Animal Rescue. Photo by Erin McCarthy

3. When he first saw her, Bub's vet said she was the weirdest cat he had ever seen. At the time, Bub was 8 weeks old and weighed just 6 ounces, about the size of a hacky sack. "He was concerned that with so many birth defects she may not live very long, maybe only a few months," Bridavsky says. "But after doing some tests it turned out she was in good shape!" She and Bridavsky lived a pretty normal life until one of her photos went viral in 2012.

4. A day in the life of Bub is pretty regimented. She sleeps in bed with Bridavsky on her green blanket (which she also travels with). After they wake up, they take a trip outside so Bub can go to the bathroom. Then Bridavsky mixes Bub's food and medicine, which she eats while he's in the shower; after he gets out, he has to rearrange her food because she smushes it. "She’s a lot of work," Bridavsky says, "but I love doing it. It’s great. We have a good relationship." While Bridavsky prepares the daily Bub blog post, she naps in his lap. Later, they might shoot some photos for the blog or go outside and hang out.

5. Bub has an extra toe on each foot, for a total of 22 toes. (Most cats have 18.)

6. Since becoming an Internet sensation last year, Bub has traveled nearly 10,000 miles to places like New York City, Minneapolis, and Portland. She comes on the plane with Bridavsky and hangs out in her carrier at his feet. "She usually sleeps through the flight," Bridavsky says. "Airports and everything, she’s totally fine."

7. Bub has met many celebrities—including Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone—but the star she’d most like to shake paws with is Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman. (She’s also open to guest starring on the show, if anyone at NBC is reading this.)

8. When Bub wants to treat herself, she goes for one thing: Yogurt. And nothing but Brown Cow yogurt will do.

9. For a small cat—she weighs just 3.9 pounds—Bub snores pretty loudly. But it's still adorable.

12. Most of the proceeds from the sale of Bub's merchandise goes to animal shelters in her hometown, including the Bloomington Animal Shelter, the Monroe County Humane Association, and the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. When Bub does meet and greets, people who want to see her must make a donation of money, food, or other supplies to the shelter that's hosting the event. "I’m still looking for a national organization that specializes in special needs cats and cats with birth defects," Bridavsky says.

13. Bub has dwarfism, an underdeveloped jaw, and no teeth—that's why her tongue sticks out! It's also likely that she has osteopetrosis, a rare bone disease. "I think there’s only been a couple reported cases in cats," Bridavsky says. "They think that her bones will continue to grow and get more deformed as she gets older, so it’ll never stop. It seems to have slowed down—her body hasn’t changed much, but the hardest thing is for her to walk around." The most important thing to know about Bub, though, is that despite the challenges she faces, she's a happy, healthy cat.

Erin is the Executive Editor of MentalFloss.com. Previously, she covered everything from natural disasters to bridge engineering to the science behind sci-fi movies for Popular Mechanics magazine. When she's not editing or writing, you can find her karaoking, reading non-fiction, watching Investigation Discovery and hockey (go NYR!), or hanging out with her cats, Oliver and Pearl.